I’m a HS senior from NYC and just heard back from all colleges to which I applied! it looks like my top three choices of colleges that accepted me are Emory University (College of Arts and Sciences), University of Michigan Ann-Arbor (College of Literature, Science, and the Arts), and Tulane University.
I was also waitlisted at Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, and Middlebury College, among others.
I am thinking of going pre-med and interested in both natural and social sciences. I am deciding where to commit, and also where to stay on the waitlist (if anywhere). Curious to hear anyone’s thoughts on these schools! Thanks in advance:)
Dying to hear responses on this thread as my student also has acceptances to UMich and Emory which are two in the unknown category for us ( no visit and not enough info). My student is still deciding. The other acceptances are easier as we were able to visit.
Does the cost factor in to your decision? If so, what are the cost differences between the 3? Without knowing too much about you or what environment would be a good fit for you, and if cost is not a factor I would choose:
1)Michigan
2)Emory
3)Tulane
Ann Arbor is one of the best college towns in the country. My mother and father met and fell in love there. Their first kiss was on the steps of the Michigan Union. I’ve been to quite a few football games at the Big House with my father in the old days and now with my own kids. If it weren’t for U of M, I wouldn’t exist, so I’m a little biased .
I would stay on the Northwestern and Cornell waitlists and choose either of those if offered. Cornell is my favorite campus in the country.
For fun I ran the 3 schools through this app I have on my phone that tabulates real applicant admissions choices and provides what percent would choose a specific college in a head to head admissions choice. Here are the results it gave:
Have you seen all of them? They are very different, fit-wise. The average class sizes will be different, especially the first tow years, and the campuses are quite different, as is location/weather. For pre-med it is hard to beat Emory, IMO, and I would pick it for the smaller size and feel any day. However, everyone is different: you need to see which suits you. All three produce successful medical school applicants, so there is no wrong answer.
That all sounds very nostalgic . I realize from the UM thread, that students have real loyalty. But it’s hard to get a fix for the various programs at these schools. I’ve heard Emory is very strong for pre-Med and a couple of other STEM programs. We’ve heard UM is strong in many fields ( kind of a can’t go wrong type of thing).
So, I gather that you prefer Ann Arbor to Atlanta. Any academic reasons?
The culture, size and experience of those three schools are completely different. Cost also is pretty variable. I don’t know you need or financial package but Emory has gone all grants no loans from them as of the incoming year. It is officially in the city but looks more like it’s own suburb. (Actually it was in the 1940s Emory was located in Emory, GA not Atlanta and no it didn’t move). There are many other universities around. The weather is generally nice but Atlanta can get cooler with typically one true week of winter. If you get an ice storm woah everything will stop and if snow is predicated that is pretty funny. I am an alum and my son attends. In most years I am an interviewer so I know more than this. Also it is strong for premed like areas. It’s private.
U Mich is in Ann Arbor which I hear is lovely. My husband went for Med school and residency. The school is very large. Sports are strong and simply the experience will be different. It too is has great rep for premed and is a flagship state school.
Tulane gives you the Big Easy. It has some wonderful programs and some very happy students. But it and Emory are culturally very different. It’s rep tends to have party in the name though many students will say that is unfair.
You need to make yourself a chart on what is important to you at the campuses and then take a look which school checks the most boxes. It is fit that is important. Academically you have great options.
As for WLs only join one if it is something you really want to do. You have such wonderful choices here it almost seems silly. You may not hear until you have already placed a good amount of money and time into another school and then maybe shift gears. Typically not many get off of WLs. Even years where it seems like a lot so if you look at the total in the list the percent is small.
I think the first thing to do is decide between Emory and Tulane. While there are many differences between them, I think they are more similar to each other than to Michigan.
Both New Orleans and Atlanta have numerous medical centers where you can make opportunities for yourself. Emory in my opinion has the edge as the CDC headquarters is on the Emory campus. There is just an amazing healthcare community in Atlanta. Emory in my opinion is also slightly more prestigious than Tulane. Tulane has New Orleans which is a great city, but I think Emory has more to offer you.
Michigan is a different animal. It’s large, it’s loud, it’s fun and it’s full of possibilities. Classes are huge, options and offerings are huge. Some people really thrive in that energy others do not. If you like the feel of a big state school Michigan is the ultimate with a great reputation.
Ultimately what’s most important for pre-med is that you do well in school. You need to select where you think you will be happiest because that’s where you will succeed most and that’s what matters for med school.
What are the net costs for you at each of these colleges. They are all excellent colleges. You can do premed studies at just about any college in the country (arts conservatories included).
If it were me, I would choose one of the colleges to which you were accepted and move on. They are all great choices.
If medical school is a possibility, you should keep undergrad debt to a bare minimum…because med school will be loans loans and more loans.
U of M (Michigan uses the “of”, whereas some other M universities like the University of Miami do not use “of” and are just UM) is strong academically across the board … engineering, physical sciences, humanities, economics and social sciences, Ross undergraduate school of business … you name it.
Fantastic MBA, JD, MD, PhD programs. Yes, Emory has a good medical school and its residency and fellowship programs have a good reputation … but Michigan’s medical school and residency/fellowship programs have an even better reputation.
Myself and a few of my friends went out of state for college and grad school, but most of my high school friends went to U of M if they were “A” students or MSU (Michigan State) if they were “B” or “C” students.
Virtually all of my friends who went undergrad to U of M ended up becoming a doctor or lawyer, including my brother and my father. My brother was an undergrad physics major at U of M and attended an Ivy League Top 2-4 Law School. My closest friend from high school went out of state for college and returned for an MBA at U of M.
Everybody I know who went to Michigan is doin’ pretty darn well.
These three universities have very different approaches to STEM education. I would encourage you to think about what kind of environment best suits your learning style. For medical school you need 7-8 letters of recommendation, considerable work experience in a lab, shadowing or work in a medical environment. All three of those universities can provide these things, but they do it in very different ways. You also need to pass organic chemistry. So be sure to ask the right questions and not worry so much about ranking or the location.
It depends on a school but 3-5 seems to be the number. Some schools will also take a committee letter. Not sure where that 7-8 came from. My husband is on faculty at U Miami. He just said well that is bogus.
The number of LORs required for a med school application varies by school, but 3 is the norm. (I don’t think I ever seen one that requires 7.) And in all cases, a committee letter written the undergrad’s health professions committee is acceptable regardless of how many letters are required.
One should consult MSAR to find out how many LORs a med school will accept.
BTW-
considerable work experience in a lab,
This is a premed myth. Not all medical school require or expect “considerable” research lab experience. Some research-intensive med schools do prefer candidates have previous research experience, but it’s not a hard requirement. Patient-facing experiences are more important than having research
These are all great schools with lots of premed kids and good premed opportunities for advising, shadowing, research…
Pick the one that fits you best in other ways because they will all get you to good med schools if you put in the work, but they are very different in terms of social life and atmosphere.
Emory is on the quieter side, although kids do know how to unwind and have fun, and Atlanta has a lot to offer. Sports at emory are basically nonexistent.
Tulane kids are very happy and engaged in many activities- but you go there because you like NOLA. It’s a big part of the experience.
Michigan is the big rah rah sports scene and college town.
Academics at all three are good even if you change your mind and change fields. But Michigan and Emory prob trump Tulane in that respect.
Pick the school you like and see yourself happiest at. Not the one that is best for premed.
Congratulations on your acceptances! A couple of things to consider: Many kids (>75%) change their major at least once in college. In which case, where might your Plan B work out best? It is important to have a plan B because there are >2.5 applicants for each MD/DO spot.
Secondly, look to see which of these have an active premed organization AND SUPPORT system. How many apply each year to med school and how many get accepted? A rough rule of thumb is that ~40% students in STEM start out as pre-health of some sort as freshmen. How many stick and make it? This information can be found with some digging.
Finally, the most important factor is where will you be most happy AND successful as a student? AAMC surveys indicate that reputation of the school is not as important as everything else, like GPA, MCAT, ECs. In fact, it really does not matter according to most AOs. Now, I do not think this is true but that is what the survey says.
Good luck with your research. Use the wisdom from this board and make your decision!
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